Archive of Our Own ^beta

The sun has begun to set by the time the ceremony is finally underway. Residents and eggs alike are dressed to the nines in anticipation for the first wedding on the island. An assortment of wings, tails, and slime trails crowd the seats and Cellbit couldn’t be happier. Each chair held someone he loved and cared about, and that is all he could ask for. 

Despite the chaos leading up to and carrying on through the ceremony, this moment was worth all the trouble. Maximus’ voice fades to a dull presence in the back of his mind as Cellbit can’t tear his gaze away from Roier. Soft pink amaranths pinned in Roier’s dark curls create a halo-like glow in the dim lantern light. If any other person had appeared before him dressed in all white, he may have been pinned by thoughts of that Federation prison, memories of ice digging their claws into his mind. 

But it isn’t someone else. It is Roier. 

And he looks every bit an angel that Cellbit cannot believe he deserves but gets to hold anyway. 

His reverence is interrupted by Richarlyson approaching with two rings in hand, both carefully crafted to represent each other. Richas carefully deposits the rings into their hands before beaming up at them, tail whipping behind him in delight as he runs back to his seat. Whatever love-struck look that is already on his face increases tenfold at the sight of his son so happy for the next phase of their lives.

Everything still feels surreal as Roier slides the ring, delicately engraved with a spider, onto his finger, repeating the promises that Max recites from his book. Cellbit does the same, Roier’s ring carved with puzzle pieces along the band, though Cellbit feels like his shaking hands may mess up the simple action. 

Next come their vows, which is the part Cellbit was most looking forward to. He has been preparing for days, weeks even, to get everything right. Roier’s hands are warm in his own and help to steady them as Cellbit draws a shaky breath to begin. 

“From the first time that I saw you, your smile captured my heart. You have been by my side through everything, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I know that in any universe, it would have been-”

~~~~~~~~

“-love at first sight? That’s your argument?” Cellbit’s incredulous voice drowns out the sound of the movie. 

“No! It’s still weird, but the concept makes sense.” Pac nearly knocks the popcorn out of his lap, frantically waving his arms to defend himself.

It’s three am and Cellbit honestly could care less about the plot of this stupid vampire movie. They have been watching them for hours, but Pac was weirdly invested despite the numerous plot holes and freaky werewolf imprinting. At this point, Cellbit would rather be studying for his finals instead of being dragged to a Twilight movie marathon in the name of “letting his brain breathe”. 

If Cellbit had to sit through several hours of this, he is at least going to have some fun with it. 

“Jacob is a freak! Bella is totally right for beating the shit out of him. I would too if I was her.” 

“I agree that he’s a freak! I’m not saying he isn’t! I’m just saying that the idea of love at first sight is really beautiful, you know?” Pac trails off a bit, longing clinging to his words as he continues. “Wouldn’t it be nice to know right away that they’re the one?”

Cellbit’s eyes burn from the bright light of the TV, quick flashes of color dancing along the otherwise darkened corners of the room. Pac had always been a romantic, always hoping for a partner to sweep him off his feet. It's not that Cellbit doesn’t want a partner. He has just never considered it a priority, and he certainly does Not believe in fairytales like “love at first sight”. Finding someone that is the perfect fit would take time and effort that he doesn’t have to spare right now. 

“I suppose it would take some of the stress out of the situation,” he concedes after a moment. Pac perks up in surprise, tipping the bowl even closer to the edge of the couch. 

“But love at first sight isn’t real, so it doesn’t matter anyways.” Cellbit finishes with a shrug, reaching for the remote on the coffee table. 

Pac lunges for the remote before he can get to it and the bowl teetering on the edge finally makes its way into the air from the abrupt movement. A shower of overly buttered, salty popcorn showers down on the pair as they wrestle over the remote, one trying to turn the wretched movie off and the other desperate to finish it.

In the end Cellbit wins, though not without extreme sulking from Pac, popcorn smushed in his hair, and a serious need for a shower. His winning argument is that they both have studying to do in the morning. Pac insists that he doesn’t have to stay to help clean up and Cellbit takes the chance, escaping back to his own dorm. 

Unfortunately, even Cellbit isn’t immune to the occasional missed alarm despite his experience with late nights. He curses the universe as he books it across campus towards the library like some annoying anime protagonist, loose papers and his laptop charger threatening to spill out of his backpack. 

Maybe he can blame the late start for the way he bursts through the library doors, far too loudly for the setting. He looks only slightly apologetic as he signs the sheet for a study room that no one ever uses. The signature is complete chicken scratch but the library staff are used to it by now. 

Now that he has finally arrived, Cellbit takes his time picking his way through the shelves towards the very back corner of the library. None of the other students look up from their assorted arrangements of notebooks, laptops, and snacks as he shuffles by. With the door of his self-assigned study room in view, he pulls his backpack around his front, digging around for his small headphone case and praying that they are charged. 

It takes a solid thirty seconds of blindly reaching before he pulls out the black case, savoring the minor triumph of the day before the satisfaction is swiftly wiped off his face again. The light in the study room is on, the light in Cellbit’s study room is on. Even in his rush, Cellbit is sure that he would have seen another name written in the always empty slots of the sign-in sheet if it had been there. 

Okay, it's fine. Cellbit tries to rationalize the anxiety creeping into the edges of his thoughts. Maybe they just turned all the lights on today? Yeah, yeah that’s it. And when I open this door, no one will be there because there never is. 

His hand is shaking, either from lack of sleep or the sinking dread of having to find somewhere else to study, as he reaches for the door handle and-

~~~~~~~~

The door of his office nearly flies off its hinges as it is flung open while Cellbit wrangles his long coat over his shoulders in his rush to get to the crime scene before the damn cops can take all the evidence away. 

He almost trips down the stairs in his haste, saving himself at the last second with a clawed grip on the railing. Shit. His landlord is going to kill him if there are any more scratches in the woodwork, but he doesn’t have time to worry about it. It’s not every day that Cellbit is trying to catch a serial killer.

Okay, well. It had been pretty much every day for the past month or so, as bodies kept popping up around town strung up in webs and hearts torn out of their chests. Even though he had never been fast enough to beat the cops to the scene, Cellbit had a good feeling today. The call had just come in about a disturbance in an alleyway near his office/apartment, nothing specific. It could be anything really, maybe just some cats in a dumpster fight and not a spider-like, heart-ripping murderer but he had a feeling.

And his feelings are almost never wrong. 

His boots distort his reflection as he sprints through the puddles left by the rain that had raged for most of the day. Cellbit took it as a good sign that his luck was finally turning around, the downpour had ceased only an hour earlier and allowed the light of the moon to guide him like a spotlight.

Two blocks north, one block east. 

In less than five minutes, he slows from his run to a more cautious walk as he scans the alleyways one by one. Each path is pitch black from shadows and most people would have been scared to approach a potential crime scene, but Cellbit had never been like most people. 

His ears are keen to ever sound, twitching at even the slightest rustling from whatever strays may have been hiding around. Most days he would keep the fluffy things covered by his goggles, but in his rush to leave he hadn’t bothered to grab them. Night vision and enhanced hearing are definitely positive traits for the feline hybrid right now, so he was glad that he left them behind. 

Each alleyway that he passed brought more frustration, tail lashing under the coat as he stalked more determinedly down the other side of the street. Maybe it truly had been some alley cats or some unruly teenagers causing trouble. 

Cellbit is about to give up, chalking up the feeling he had about this call as a simple excitement at the proximity to his apartment when he hears it. A snapping sound, like a branch breaking off a tree, makes his ears flick in interest. The next alley he approaches is just as dark as the rest of them, but that isn’t a problem for him. 

Just beyond the entrance, where the streetlamp light no longer reaches, Cellbit can make out the shape of something crouched on the ground. The hunched figure leans back and that is when the smell hits him. Either it hadn’t been there before or Cellbit had gotten good at ignoring it but the metallic tang of blood in the air curls around his tongue as he breathes it in. 

Another snapping sound breaks the silence in the same moment that he steps off of the sidewalk into the darkness. Cellbit’s eyes adjust to the darkness just in time for the other turn, baring their teeth and all Cellbit can see is-

~~~~~~~~

Red and white lights flashing throughout the club are already giving Cellbit a headache as he clutches his drink tighter. Being surrounded by couples makes him wrack his brain to remember why he agreed to go out on Valentine’s Day of all holidays. But Felps didn’t want to work his shift alone. So here Cellbit sits, trying not to break the stem of his wine glass and ignoring anyone that tries to talk to him. Well, anyone that isn’t Felps, at least.

See, Cellbit isn’t too self-conscious to deny that he is attractive. He gets hit on here and there when he does decide to attend these sorts of venues so that isn’t the problem. What is the problem is that most people that talk to him are just looking for a hookup and that is Not what he is into, thank you. So he declines every drink he is offered, avoids conversation with strangers, or bails on plans with friends when he really doesn’t want to deal with it that particular day. 

But unfortunately for Cellbit, his best friend just so happens to work in one of the most popular clubs in town and because Cellbit is such a good friend, he agreed to keep him company on his Valentine’s Day shift. It’s not that he regrets it, no, the wine is free, and the music is shockingly not at a painful volume. But the club is so busy that Felps barely has enough time to check in on him every few minutes while making drinks that Cellbit thinks he would have been fine without him there. 

He is just about to grab his jacket, content with having spent the last hour or so keeping his friend company when the flashing lights stop, and an emcee starts excitedly announcing the start of their show. He can hardly keep up with what they are saying as the whole crowd cheers and pushes closer to the small stage at the back of the room. Cellbit decidedly does not follow the crowd and instead appreciates the space he now has at the bar as Felps makes his way back to him.

“What is happening? I can’t understand anything from that shitty mic they are using.” Cellbit leans further onto the counter to listen for Felps’ answer. 

His friend doesn’t reply and instead taps a small flyer placed on the bar top, right under the edge of Cellbit’s wine glass. 

Amateur Drag Night

Valentine’s Day Special, 9 pm

With Guest Performer- Melissa

He doesn’t get much more time than it takes to read the paper before the music picks back up, now with a softer tune and a spotlight drags his attention to the stage. The crowd makes it hard to see, all he can make out is a sparkle of red and one purple gloved hand raised above the shifting bodies in front of him. 

It takes until the first chorus for Cellbit to finally recognize the song, Juno by Sabrina Carpenter. He would never admit to knowing it on any normal day, but Felps was the one obsessed with it so he wasn’t worried about anyone making fun of him about it tonight. The spotlight trails across the back wall as the performer moves into the crowd and the patrons back up to make a path for her. A few people leave the bar to try and get a closer look, but Cellbit isn’t keen on making a scene, so he stays put on his barstool. He does turn around to see better as the spotlight trails closer to his section of the club. 

With the amount of Tiktoks Felps sends him of one special section of choreography, Cellbit knows the crowd will be waiting with bated breath as the second bridge swells. He can see more of a floor length, sparkling red dress and a mass of brown curls when the performer- Melissa leans over the back of a chair, audience roaring as the line rings out.

Have you ever tried this one?

Of course, as Melissa draws even nearer to the bar, the slow verse begins and the spotlight narrows. Cellbit finds himself holding his breath and he’s not even sure why. She saunters down the thin aisle created by the bar and the patrons cheering right to where Cellbit is seated at the bar. She hasn’t acknowledged him or even turned his way enough to see her face. As the verse ends, Cellbit is sure that he’s in the clear from being spotted when the mass of curls turns his way, and he catches sight of-

~~~~~~

A blue bandana is the first detail Cellbit notices of the stranger when he opens the door, holding back unruly brown hair from closed eyes from where he is slumped over the table napping. The gears in his head are still turning, trying to process the unexpected encounter and how to move forward when his backpack’s zipper finally gives up on him. His laptop and textbooks pour out in a series of loud thunks on the carpeted floor. Each one makes him cringe a little more and the final book lands with a perfect smack that jolts the stranger awake.

“AY puta madre,” he exclaims, blinking rapidly at his surroundings before landing on Cellbit in the doorway. “Hey man, what the fuck!”

What the fuck indeed. Here is a man with the prettiest face he has ever seen, napping in his usual study room and Cellbit is just standing there staring at him with the entire contents of his bag spilled on the floor. In all of his smooth talking glory, there is only one thing he can think to say.

“Um,” he starts slowly. “You didn’t sign in on the sheet.”

The pair stare at each other in an ever increasingly awkward silence. Cellbit is pretty sure that turning around to hide in his dorm is his best option when the other man bursts out into a giggle fit that he can’t look away from. His smile scrunches his nose and his cheeks show dimples on either side and Cellbit is staring like a dumbass.

Eventually, the laughter peeters out and the stranger wipes a few tears from his eyes. He takes a few heaving breaths before standing up and coming towards the doorway. 

“Yeah, I guess I didn’t.” He is still smiling when he bends down to start gathering Cellbit’s books. A beat passes before Cellbit scrambles to help, almost knocking their heads together. 

Once every stray piece of paper is placed into a pile on the table the stranger turns to him again. 

“If you don’t mind the company, we could share?” 

With a smile that blinding directed at him full force, Cellbit stutters a bit on his reply.

“Yeah, uh- yeah no I don’t mind.” And normally, Cellbit absolutely would mind but there is a voice in the back of his mind that sounds suspiciously like Pac telling him to sit down at the table and agree. 

The two sit down opposite of each other once Cellbit closes the door and drops his empty bag onto the chair next to him. His attention has hardly left the stranger in the short minute it takes to get settled and he watches the other lean his chin into his hands, looking at him expectantly. Cellbit raises his eyebrow in return and the man’s smile returns.

“My name is Roier,” he draws out the syllables like it should have been obvious. “What’s your favorite color?”

Which was the last thing Cellbit expected him to ask, but he’s not really sure what he should have expected. So he decides to roll with it, taking a shaking breath, and answers. 

“My favorite color is-”

~~~~~~

Red stains cover the chin and teeth of the man kneeling over a distinctly dead body while all of Cellbit’s self-preservation skills go out the window. This is what he had been searching for, what he had been chasing for weeks now, and he finally caught up to it all. 

Unfortunately, this exact scene brings an ache in the back of his jaw and a phantom feeling of meat between his teeth that he has to shove back into the vault of his mind swiftly. A faintly pulsing heart is clutched in one hand and a broken shard of rib raised to defend in the other. But that isn’t what he is most entranced with. 

Six spindling arms protrude from the man’s back, and the webbing portion of the case finally makes sense. While a spider-hybrid wasn’t unheard of it was definitely uncommon . Cellbit’s information hungry brain wants to study him, to understand where the webs came from and how, and why exactly he’s on a murder spree across the town and exclusively removing hearts?

It seems he won’t have the time for any of those questions right now as the sound of police sirens draws near their street. The blood-stained man bolts up from the ground, preparing to run deeper into the alley when Cellbit lunges for him. It’s a miracle the makeshift bone knife barely catches the sleeve of his jacket, tearing a hole but nothing more, as Cellbit grapples to keep the man’s arms down. 

“Listen to me!” Cellbit digs his claws slightly into the exposed arm, “If you don’t want the cops to finally get you, come with me.” 

The man stops struggling for a moment, clear skepticism in his eyes, before the sound of the sirens go off even closer. He can see the man weigh his options, scanning the surrounding walls and his pinned position. Cellbit waits with bated breath for a decision, ten seconds away from making the choice for him when the stranger nods. 

“If you try to turn me in,” the spider-hybrid starts menacingly, “I won’t even do you the service of eating your heart.”

That is a far too interesting sentence to drop on the detective while he is trying to help him escape and Cellbit is determined to circle back to that when they have time. For now, he stands, offering a clean hand for a blood stained one to grasp and hauls him up before dragging him up and out of the alley. There isn’t enough time to worry about the body still laying on the ground, stepping over it with little care. 

In the streetlight, the crimson splatters covering both of their clothing is more obvious than Cellbit would have hoped. Sirens sound just around the corner at the other end of the street and Cellbit’s ears flick in that direction. He can hear a sharp inhale where the killer stands next to him, but he pays it little attention as he drags the man in the opposite direction. 

The three blocks between the alley and his apartment feel even shorter as they sprint down empty streets. It isn’t until Cellbit is rummaging for his keys that he realizes he never let go of the man’s hand in their escape. He will blame the red in his cheeks on stray blood stains if the other brings it up. Once the apartment door is closed securely behind them and the many locks properly engaged, Cellbit finally lets out a sigh of relief. Then the insanity of it all sets in. 

There is a serial killer in his living room, they are both covered in blood, and Cellbit is harboring a criminal for the sake of what? Pure curiosity? God, he is so stupid . 

It's okay. He can handle this; everything is normal and this is just a… new friend. Thankfully this new friend has the courtesy not to touch any of his furniture, and Cellbit is grateful since being a private detective does not make much money. He takes one more steadying breath before approaching the dead-still figure in his home. 

“I am Cellbit,” he begins. “This is my apartment, and I know that you could just murder me and be on your way.” He takes the time to slip off his boots and hang his coat back up on the hook. The other is still unmoving, unblinking, as he watches. 

“But I suggest you don’t do that since I really, really want to know what your deal is and you need somewhere to hide. How about we make a deal?” 

Cellbit moves closer to him, trying to be unthreatening but confident as he waits for a response, hand outstretched to shake. There is a brief moment where Cellbit considers he might have finally done something stupid enough to get himself killed, when the other finally moves. He reaches into the pocket of his hoodie and Cellbit does his best not to flinch. A slimy, cold object is placed into his hand and Cellbit breaks away from observing the man’s face to look. 

The heart from before is settled into his hand, fully lifeless now and less appetizing intimidating than it was in the alley. A peace offering. He refocuses on the other man’s face, and he is smiling, eyes squinting with the force of it and Cellbit is caught on the sight.

~~~~~~

A wink is what Cellbit receives for his reverence at the performance, tossed over Melissa’s shoulder before she turns to face him fully. Her red painted lips are still mouthing the lyrics, putting on a show as she steps closer towards his seat at the bar. No one else is there except Felps, who has made himself scarce, so all of the attention is on Cellbit. A purple gloved hand reaches towards him, emphasizing the last line of the verse. 

Tell me I’m the only, only, only, only one

She maintains eye contact for a second longer, smiling and giving a little wave before she turns back to the crowd and dancing away. The audience swallows her back up on her way back to the stage and once she’s out of sight, Cellbit feels light-headed. Having such focused attention normally didn’t bother him, but the weight of her gaze kept him pinned. 

Felps manifests at his seat at the bar once again, handing him a glass of water and kindly ignoring the flush that is surely covering his entire face. Cellbit wouldn’t be able to blame him if he did anyways. 

The rest of the performance wraps up quickly and Cellbit finally manages to escape the club with an approving nod from Felps. February air is unforgiving through his thin jacket but the stark temperature difference is welcome. He takes a moment to compose himself around the corner, tucked into an alley away from the wind. 

It only takes a minute or two for him to compose himself before he pushes himself off of the wall ready to take the short walk to his car. He has only taken a few steps when the side door of the club slams open, music and chatter spilling out into the night. A familiar red dress is tossed over a shoulder as a figure backs out of the door, waving and shouting goodbyes as they go. Any breath Cellbit had regained was lost once they turned around and spotted Cellbit observing. 

“Were you waiting for me to leave?” The question is asked teasingly, but Cellbit panics anyway. 

“No! No, I swear I had no idea. I didn’t- I wouldn’t. That’s creepy, I promise I wasn’t waiting for you.” Cellbit’s defensive rambling is cut short by a tinkling laugh cutting through the chill. 

Cellbit can only stare again enraptured by the smudges of eyeliner still present and light dusting of freckles he couldn’t see in the dim lighting of the club. It definitely isn’t helping his vow of not being creepy, but it’s hard to look away.

“It’s okay, I’m just messing with you, man.” His laugh is still tinting his voice as he continues. “If you had though, I wouldn’t mind.” 

It’s Cellbit’s turn to laugh, incredulous at the whole situation. He smiles back at the other before he is met with a beckoning hand, held out expectantly. His confusion must be evident because the other laughs again lightly. 

“Give me your phone, pendejo.”

Oh. Yeah that makes sense. Cellbit scrambles to dig his phone out of his pocket and unlock it before handing it over. It is only out of his grip for less than a minute before it is returned, their hands brushing for a moment. 

“Text me, okay?” Cellbit can only nod.

The stranger backs away and walks towards the road, where an uber or some other car waits for him. Cellbit watches, heart pounding and the cold air finally starting to settle in, until the car is gone and he feels like his fingers are going to fall off. 

He’ll have to thank Felps for the invite later.

~~~~~

“I know that in any universe, it would have been love at first sight. Over and over again I would choose you, because you are everything. As long as I am here, you will never be alone. I will be by your side forever, until you get sick of me and then some.” 

There are tears in his eyes and he is more upset that the liquid is blocking his view of his husband than at the act itself. One hand leaves his own and he only has a moment to mourn the loss before it wipes the tears that have managed to escape. Roier’s eyes are wet as well when he meets them and he raises his hand to hold the one still cradling his face. 

Cellbit isn’t sure if Max finished the ceremony or if Roier decided the formalities were over because he is pulled close with only a second of pause before they seal their marriage with a kiss. It isn’t their first kiss, and he hoped it wouldn’t be their last, but it is every bit a fairytale moment. He isn’t sure if the fireworks are in his stomach or going off around them as everyone cheers but it doesn’t matter. Their kiss only comes to a close as a weight slams into their legs, nearly knocking them both over in the process. 

He gazes fondly at Roier for a moment longer before scooping the menace he knows as his son up between them. Both his and Roier’s arms wrap around the wriggling dragon and squeeze him tight. 

Cellbit is holding his whole world in his arms, his husband and his son. They bask in the sunset’s glow, warmed by the love of their friends. With a squeeze of Roier’s hand in his own, they step down the aisle to take whatever this island throws at them, together.